How to Surrender Your Licence

Purpose

Ontario lawyers or paralegals (licensees) who no longer wish to maintain their licence in Ontario may surrender their licence under By-Law 4.

Licensees who surrender their licence no longer pay annual membership fees or file annual reports.Once a licence is surrendered, lawyers and paralegals are no longer entitled to practise law or provide legal services as an Ontario lawyer or paralegal.

Who can apply

Lawyers and paralegals of any age that no longer wish to maintain their Ontario licence

NOTE: If you are retiring or incapacitated, click on this link for information about the exemption process, which may be an alternative to surrendering your licence if you are 65 years of age (or older) or at any age if you are incapacitated and unable to practise law or provide legal services.

Application Requirements

A completed and original Application for Surrender of Licence to Practise Law/Provide Legal Services

Submission of all outstanding Lawyer or Paralegal Annual Reports

Evidence that all trust/mixed trust accounts have been closed and have a zero balance (for applicants who were Sole Practitioners in Ontario at any time within the last 3 years from the date of their application)

Evidence that the applicant no longer has signing authority over any trust/mixed trust accounts (for applicants who were Partners, Employees or Associates in Ontario at any time within the last 3 years from the date of their application)

Lawyers Only - Evidence that all open estates have been closed or the applicant no longer has signing authority

Application Process

All applications and attachments are reviewed by By-Law Administration Services. If the review reveals that the application cannot be approved, Law Society staff will contact the applicant to request additional information or to advise of necessary changes.

By-Law Administration Services may require up to 45 business days to process an Application to Surrender Licence, if it is complete.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Submitting an application to surrender your licence will not prevent you from being suspended for failing to comply with any administrative or regulatory requirement.

Administrative Fees

There is no fee for the Application for Surrender of Licence.

Links to Applications and additional information for closing your practice:

Information about outstanding annual fees can be obtained by contacting Membership Services

You may also contact each of these departments directly using the Contact Page.

Accessibility

The Law Society of Upper Canada is committed to ensuring that our websites and web applications are accessible for people with disabilities. We have also made efforts to make Law Society documents accessible to everyone. If you need any of our documents or forms in an alternate format
that is accessible to you, please
contact us.